Zhang-Elkins Targeted for UFC 136 in Houston

Twelve bouts have now been announced for UFC
136, as promotion officials Thursday confirmed that Tiequan
Zhang will lock horns with Darren
Elkins in a featherweight affair at the Oct. 8 event.

Headlined by a lightweight title rubber match pitting champion
Frankie
Edgar against the only man to ever beat him in Gray
Maynard, UFC 136 will emanate from the Toyota Center in
Houston. Also featuring a featherweight championship showdown
between Jose Aldo and
Kenny
Florian, the event's main card will air live on
pay-per-view.

China's lone UFC representative, Zhang has tasted defeat only once
in nearly six years as a professional. Known as “The Mongolian
Wolf,” Zhang made his North American debut at WEC 51 last year.
After quickly submitting Pablo Garza
via guillotine choke in that matchup, the 33-year-old was defeated
in his sophomore
WEC effort by Danny Downes. Most recently, Zhang dropped to
featherweight and rebounded from his lone defeat to earn a
submission victory over Jason
Reinhardt at UFC 127 in February.

Elkins has won four of his last five bouts. The Hoosier has posted
a 2-1 record in his
UFC career thus far, debuting successfully at UFC Live 1 last
year. After earning a technical knockout over Duane Ludwig
due to an ankle injury in that bout, Elkins was quickly submitted
in his sophomore effort by Charles
Oliveira this past August. The American made the cut to 145
pounds for his most recent outing in June, earning a controversial
unanimous decision over Michihiro
Omigawa at UFC 131.